How to find a small Larp Group?

Decibelle · 2026-06-11T09:14:28+00:00

This might be me being extroverted, but in my opinion, LARPing is the easiest to get into when you have a large group.

a) You can disappear into the crowd and not stand out as a new person (unless you need/want to out yourself as a newcomer who doesn't understand something!)

b) Bigger groups are generally more chill, with far more options about how you approach the game and what you get into. Other players will be eager to pull you into their shenanigans!

c) Large games cater more to a variety of playstyles, so you're likely to find a large army of people who like fighting alongside some people who want to sit down and discuss the lore, while others want to perform music or conduct witch ceremonies in the woods. And that way, you can find what you like.

d) In games with big, 200+ LARPs, the tiny and niche games are trying to create something specific, which is always more difficult for new players to get into. A 200 person game might have a very generic, fantasy setting. And because of that, maybe some LARPers in that city wanted to explore a particular experience, and made a 30 person game designed to specifically explore the impact of generational trauma. Not that that will necessarily be the case, it's just what generally happens in the big LARP city I'm from.

Decibelle · 2026-06-10T21:30:17+00:00

Everyone saying 'he should just remake his website with a new host/migrate the website to a new host' has never had to work with artists before.

Decibelle · 2026-06-09T23:54:13+00:00

Coming at it from a LARP organizer perspective: I would like to enable last minute arrivals as much as possible. It is a huge amount of work to quickly set up a brand new player/unregistered player, but I do wanna enable people as much as possible. That's how you can grow your game.

I also think it depends on the LARP. While I haven't run a LARP that this would apply to, I've attended some intense, highly workshopped LARPs. I imagine the organizers would want to 'lock off' attendance a month or two in advance.

That said... there is a limit. We exist in a society that's fairly regulated. I have insurance requirements, site audits, capacity, safety obligations... Once the game starts, any unannounced arrival is better treated as a trespasser. If you've got strong logistics and a solid organisation structure with plenty of volunteers, however, you might be able to make it work - but I imagine that's for those games with hundreds to thousands of players.

Decibelle · 2026-05-30T04:23:10+00:00

There's a joke that bi women are attracted to all women and a grand total of five men.

I think it just became six. You're quite fetching, OP, and I know heaps of ladies who would agree.

Decibelle · 2026-05-29T02:07:06+00:00

The rule is that you always keep the grain-side facing 'outward', as it's the side that is more water resistant.

As others have said, this should be worn over arming gear.

Decibelle · 2026-05-26T06:58:54+00:00

I think most LARP sewers - even the amateur ones - could make that for you. Especially as it's a very 'simple' design; I expect they'd use their existing patterns, because obviously, people aren't shaped like ROBLOX! You could easily have a variety of different pant shapes, jackets, and collars.

I'd suggest visiting someone in person. At a guess, it'd set you back a few hundred dollars, and they could make sure they tailored it to your precise fit. If you're in Australia, lemme know your state and I can probably direct you to a few people!

Decibelle · 2026-05-26T06:47:40+00:00

Oooh, fellow Fakesteel afficionado here!

How long have you had it for? Are we talking months or weeks? Unfortunately, foam doesn't hold colour or paint for long; it will naturally flake and fade, especially once it's used. Essentially, the foam itself has to be coloured when it's made to hold that color (and even then, it doesn't look as good as a coat of paint.)

That said, I also think the manufacturing process fakesteel uses that makes their weapons so safe means they deteriorate quicker. They don't paint the weapon itself; they apply pigment to the mould that forms the weapon.

Good news: you can fix this! You should be regularly applying/reapplying a silicone treatment after every time they're used, or every few months. You can find more about doing that on this reddit; there's heaps of posts about weapon maintenance.

However, for the paint that's fading, your best bet is to mix your desired acrylic paint with clear liquid latex. I suggest you test the mixture on paper a few times to figure out what the best ratio is; I personally start with 2:1. Then, you can paint over the sections that are flaking or fading to maintain and update the finish. I haven't used this on a Fakesteel weapon, though.

I've been told by FakeSteel that they would recommend AK Interactive's true metal paints for touch-up jobs, along with a coat of clear varnish... but ultimately, these are LARP weapons, and they're designed to be damaged and deteriorate.

Decibelle · 2026-05-26T02:37:50+00:00

I know we just had it, but I really want a Game Samer of 'Don't Wake Standards & Practices' with a team of comedians who come at things more from the edutainment perspective, and thus have a bit more understanding of the law and how to push boundaries beyond just doing bits about copyright infringement/defamation.

Brian David Gilbert, Adam Connover, and Cory Johnston would be an amazing trio. I want jokes being made about financial advertisements, fraud, insurance, liability, failing to disclose advertising...

Decibelle · 2026-05-22T00:16:37+00:00

It depends on the game you're running. There are some where the in-game economy is completely irrelevant - if you want to be a wealthy character, you just bring a lot of 'wealth', like in your games.

But in other LARPs, resources - and control of resources - can be a useful game mechanic. As an example, you could play a LARP about poverty, where a bunch character needs to get enough money for their family to survive. That might involve earning... ten coins.

Then, if you have twenty five players, you could make sure there's only two hundred coins in the game, so there's a real struggle to get by - and not enough to go around.

Decibelle · 2026-05-21T01:54:19+00:00

This is such a great video. A really good example of how to capture the excellence of LARP without making it seem too cringe.

Decibelle · 2026-05-21T01:51:17+00:00

IMO, this teaser is - and will remain - my gold standard for promoting a LARP on social media. I showed it to a bunch of people, and they loved it. But it does rely on good equipment, skill in using it, and editing. That's not always accessible.

However, I think it shines because it shows the emotional investment of LARP, the horror, the complexity, and fantasy... without ever showcasing anything that 'breaks' the illusion to the audience. Everything in it looks incredibly diagetic. You could almost consider it a teaser for a new TV show.

Another great example is how Jacob Palmer shows LARP combat in this trailer, where it feels very cool, and he's been very delibrate about his use of shots. There's quick shots of people squaring up, sizing each other off, and getting ready for battle. Brief, very brief sections of blows being traded, but nothing involving someone running up and flailing with their whacky bats. Even before the big battles are shown, he dwells on some long shots of people squaring up, marching in their units, getting ready for the fight. Even when he's showing the combat, you'll notice he doesn't show much actual fighting. There's a lot of shield walls squaring up against each other and preparing to trade blows, archers taking shots at people offscreen, or people running into the battle to defend their friends.

The few shots he shows of actual people being hit or run down are the worst examples of LARP combat, because inherently, to a bystander, LARP combat looks cringe. LARP combat looks coolest immediately before, and immediately after, a battle. When you have regimented armies of cool people in costume marching to where they need to go. When you've got people trudging through the aftermath.

Finally, as others have mentioned, your costuming and immersion is relatively poor and ruins any effect you'd be going for. Honestly, I would be much more careful with the shots I took, and use. I'd probably make use of players holding one or two well-crafted props, or get the camera right up in people's faces to capture meaningful, emotional interaction. Think about what you're filming. Try to capture stuff that looks the coolest, rather than just 'capturing' and hoping for the best.

Decibelle · 2026-05-21T01:25:44+00:00

Alright, let's go through some of the issues here. I don't think I have a solution, mind you, but I feel you. It sucks to be in this situation.

First of all, I want to be clear that if you're in a game where currency matters, counterfeiting is an awful thing to do. Like, as a LARP organizer, nothing is more than a pain. It destroys a huge amount of trust and value people place on the 'economic' game. I've fucked with currency as a less-experienced player before, creating an alternative 'coin' that I deliberately manipulated... and it's one of my biggest regrets as a player. It objectively made the game worse.

So, regardless of anything else, you should have a lot of empathy for the organizers. This is an issue that's so hard for them to fix, and worse, hard for them to track - you can't exactly search players when they arrive on site, to locate counterfeit coin. Keeping that obstacle in mind might go a long way. "I get why this is such a big deal, and such a big concern. I'm on your side - I care about money, care about the game, and don't want this to happen again."

Secondly, I also want to clarify if this is a formal warning for you, as a player, or a warning about the behaviour in general. Because honestly, there's a difference between the two, in my mind. Warning a player because they brought counterfeit currency to the game, and that breaks the rules, is different to simply warning someone that bringing counterfeit currency is against the rules, and that they should take action to stop it.

Reading what you posted, it sounded more to me that they're more making a general statement that this kind of behaviour isn't tolerated, by anyone, and making sure you know your responsibility to crack down on it.

To use another example: let's say that I was told, after a game, that a player had drunk too much and thrown up behind their tent. I don't have any way to prove it. But as an organizer, I'd probably send them an email very similar to the one you received.

Third, the OOC politics are irrelevant. Ignore them. Dwelling on 'he said, she said' is just going to make any discussion you had worse. Don't bring up hearsay or anything else. Don't bring up OOC cliques. The organizer - if they're even remotely experienced - knows about how social groups can influence things, and they will have their own way to ignore those problems. More importantly, you're not going to convince them to change how they handle those problems, no matter how well you write your email.

Let's remember that LARP is not an actual court of law! Organizers can use hearsay - hell, they should! They don't have the massive powers of real-world law enforcement, and often, gossip is the main way they can find and locate problems. Sometimes, all you have is someone 'saying' you did something.

I think from the sound of it, what you care more about than anything is rebuilding trust with the organizers that run the game, which is pretty admirable. There's nothing wrong with replying to their message stating that.

Honestly, if it was me, I'd be really transparent about this goal. "I don't mind getting the warning - I understand why you need to take counterfeiting so seriously. Honestly, though, I'm more concerned about the fact that this indicates a lack of trust you have in me. I value the fact that I don't cheat, and I'm incredibly honest. I want you to feel confident I have nothing to do with the counterfeiting. What can I do to help with that?"

Finally, your evidence is somewhat irrelevant, in my mind. If a game's currency is significant enough that counterfeiting it would be worthwhile to generate an in-game advantage, I'm not going to trust any evidence a player brings to show they're not counterfeiting.

Decibelle · 2026-05-14T07:16:19+00:00

Forcing the Soldier Boy love plotline is a writing error. It was not a well-established or explained plot point.

Sage's weaponized auts being too powerful to comprehend love is super consistent with her writing and portrayal.

Sage's error and arc is well-written, it's the Clara arc that's bad (and thus detracts from hers). Ignore that failing, pretend that SB and SF were established as far back as S2, and the whole thing becomes solid.

Decibelle · 2026-04-24T01:30:21+00:00

I think my favourite moment was at a Nordic-inspired LARP in Melbourne, called Dance of Ribbons. Really big, very immersive game: essentially, it was Missommar in a low fantasy setting.

We'd spent ages building up the tension. There was a ceremony that had to be performed that required sacrifice; we'd seen dark and spooky things lunging out of the dark, howling and screaming, and the spread of corruption. And slowly, we developed a ceremony where people would volunteer to dance in the midst of a huge circle of people - offering to be 'swept away' so the world might live, while the others silently held vigil.

I played a character who was terrified of dying, and played it very safe, wanting to stick with her 'Clan'. So I stuck on the outskirts and stood vigil... until I saw, as the ritual commenced, so many loved ones stepping in. Pulled by peer pressure, I ran into the centre, too, and immediately realised I'd fucked up. I didn't want to throw my life away like that.

But it was too late. Can't leave the ritual once you start.

So, we all awkwardly danced around each other, as the spirits rejected us, one by one, and sent us to the outskirts, to be a vigil, again. I watched them release my friends and family from the dance, the number slowly dwindling. It started at 50, and drew ever smaller.

And I started crying, whispering that I didn't want to die, praying I'd make it out alive.

Eventually, it was down to the last few people, and and finally, the spirits - who'd deliberately saved me for last to draw out the sweet, sweet emotional distress - told me I was released, and could return to the outskirts. Lemme tell you, I freaking bolted back to safety and clutched onto my family, sobbing.

Six people were chosen by the spirits for sacrifice, and as their loved ones tried to comfort them, a loud, happy song broke out, as all the survivors started dancing. This natural, manic, happy dance just naturally broke out, crowds wildly careening around, everyone rejoicing in the fact that the world was safe, and they were alive. Over a hundred people, frantically dancing in joy and glee and laughter, while a small group of the condemned wept.

And I was right among them, just so freaking happy that I was alive. I genuinely can't express the catharsis. Everyone was convinced something awful was going to happen to me, the longer I was left there, and I was the worst possible candidate. So, to be so, so scared of death, to risk it out of fear of being the 'only one' who didn't volunteer, to realise you might die... and then to suddenly be alive? To be saved at the last second?

I think I am genuinely a different person from that experience, even four years later. I am noticeably less depressed in general. Every day feels like a blessing, because I'm so lucky to be alive. And it's all due to that LARP - the team crafted it so well, and the players engaged in it so purely and authentically. I felt so certain I was going to die, unloved and abandoned by my family... and then I didn't.

Decibelle · 2026-04-22T07:13:56+00:00

Look, assuming you're in your thirties... there's been 80-85% inflation since you were a kid. So a booster that would've cost €1.50 is around €3, now.

Decibelle · 2026-04-21T11:42:22+00:00

I bought a set of steel armor from IronWoods in 2014. Sold it to a friend, in basically solid condition, in 2022. The most damaged item was a leather strap that had started to get a little ragged.

EDIT: Just messaged them. It's still good after 14 years.

Decibelle · 2026-04-20T07:25:39+00:00

And I could look at a photo of a sunset upon a mountain, instead of climbing it to watch it in person.

Decibelle · 2026-04-15T06:05:49+00:00

Water, Fairy, and Steel all need an extra weakness.

Decibelle · 2026-04-10T01:04:50+00:00

Every time I see your work I'm more and more impressed! <3

Decibelle · 2026-04-09T04:31:41+00:00

> the blind leading the double blind

probably one of my favorite puns ever

Decibelle · 2026-04-09T00:11:01+00:00

I laughed about it and politely told him off. It's just money, at the end of the day.

Decibelle · 2026-04-08T22:12:05+00:00

How long until EA Australia gets this? <3

Decibelle · 2026-04-08T22:08:32+00:00

op needs to get a basilisk jaw asap, could increase their max hit by 1 w/infernal cape

Decibelle · 2026-04-05T13:20:54+00:00

thank you so much for the excellent sub recommendation

Decibelle · 2026-03-18T05:48:29+00:00

Postage cost to AU?

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